This invention relates to radiation curable printing ink compositions. More specifically, the invention relates to such compositions made using liquid viscous epoxidized diene polymers.
Printing inks have been made using film forming materials such as drying and non-drying oils, cyclised rubber, natural resins such as rosin and shellac, alkyd resins, copolymers of polystyrene, terpene resins, vinyl resins, acrylate resins, bisphenol epoxy resins and various chemical curing agents. Such compositions also include, of course, color pigment. Block polymers of conjugated dienes have not been widely used in printing ink compositions because of their very high viscosity. However, if such materials could be used, they would provide certain advantages, including improved flexibility and adhesion.
Thus, it would be advantageous to provide printing ink compositions which incorporate conjugated diene polymers. The present invention uses low viscosity epoxidized versions of conjugated diene polymers in printing ink compositions.